Someone must invest in a sledgehammer and knock some sense into the supporters of Jacob Zuma for excluding President Thabo Mbeki from their list of proposals for the ANC national executive committee. That person should also deal some solid blows to Mbeki’s backers for doing the same with Zuma.
Turn the sledgehammer on both Zuma and Mbeki. Knock them dizzy for winking at supporters who are foolishly trying to purge those who are not dancing to their tune.
You’ve been smoking too much of the green stuff from Pondoland if you believe either Zuma or Mbeki will sulk and vanish into political oblivion if they’re defeated in Limpopo.
If one of these once-great leaders wins and purges the other camp, you can forget about healing rifts in the ANC. The ANC will emerge more divided, and the bloodletting will continue until the next conference.
Someone must wake Zuma’s supporters from their dream that South Africans will support them in their quest to dance on Mbeki’s political grave.
Mbeki has served this country and the ANC to the best of his ability, in some ways with distinction. But I am dis-turbed by his recent behaviour, which resembles that of a bull in a china shop.
The Mbeki-ites must also be smoking something stronger than the president’s trademark rum and maple tobacco if they think they’ll go to ANC’s centenary in 2012 without Zuma in tow.
Cosatu in KwaZulu-Natal paved the way for the exclusion game when it left Mbeki off its proposed list. Now people think the ANC is an organisation only for their bosom buddies.
How, for instance, can one explain the fact that the Zuma supporters believe Cyril Ramaphosa can no longer add value to the national executive committee (NEC)? Both sides think ANC presidential hopeful and South Africa’s first television politician, Tokyo Sexwale, should be off the executive too.
The Mbeki-ites have had enough of Blade Nzimande’s accusations that Mbeki wants to derail the ANC from ‘its socialist agendaâ€. And they certainly won’t take a chance with Cosatu’s Zwelinzima Vavi.
Only the gods know what the Zuma lobby plans to do with our energetic deputy president, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, if the Msholozi wing takes over. They booed her in KwaZulu-Natal and at the Cosatu conference last year. She, too, will not be in their NEC.
And they are not interested in the expertise of Defence Minister and party chairperson Mosiuoa Lekota. He correctly criticised the behaviour of Zuma’s supporters during Zuma’s court appearance and has spoken against Zuma’s failure to rein in the Zulu traditionalists in his camp.
The Mbeki-ites, on the other hand, cannot stomach Gwede Mantashe and will not support Matthews Phosa’s spirited political comeback. Any political solution must include both Mbeki and Zuma, both senior sons of the movement, born in the struggle, and only a fool would downplay Sexwale’s political experience or deny his sacrifices for our freedom.
If the camps do purge each other, as they seem determined to do, we really will need a ‘third wayâ€. I hope Ramaphosa takes note; he is definitely someone who could deliver us from evil.
If he ever takes over, he could do the country a favour by including more leaders from Limpopo in the NEC and even the Cabinet. Time and again the people of that province have shown their commitment to the movement at elections.
They should no longer be used as voting cattle while KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape dominate influence and representation in the party.
We’ve had enough of ethnic wars. It’s time for the building of a new and stronger ANC. Ramaphosa might also take note that people such as Trevor Manuel have paid their dues.
The guy hardly puts a foot wrong; now he dons the green and gold in support of the national rugby squad and is equal to the challenging feat of blowing a vuvuzela. The non-racialism preached by the ruling party should go beyond rhetoric.
If Ramaphosa lacks the appetite for the presidency, Manuel, I submit, is the man for the job. Imagine a combination of Manuel and Maria Ramos in the Union Buildings. Promising indeed!